Customers can save 35 percent off storewide on clothing and accessories for women and children. And Vermeer is bringing in four additional retailers who don't have storefronts to drive more traffic for them and her store.

The holiday shopping season is still a make-or-break time of year, even for local retailers.

"I bank on December helping me pay for the three slowest months, which are January, February and March," Vermeer said. "Really, November and December are vital for taking care of five months of business.

"That cushion is so vital to me keeping my doors open."

Small Business Saturday is in its fourth year and was founded by American Express to support small retailers across the country. The credit card company estimated that consumers spent $5.5 billion on Small Business Saturday last year.

Black Friday and Small Business Saturday kick off that vital holiday shopping season for local retailers. Even big-box stores are trying to squeeze more out of consumers this time of year by opening earlier on Thanksgiving.

"The two of them have to work together to a make a community economically viable," Gill said. "People do want their local, independent stores. It's a matter of variety. When you think of some of those indie stores in Rockford, Woodstock or Crystal Lake, for those downtown squares or main streets, those places are just as important as the outskirts where malls and larger stores bring in bigger tax dollars."

Gill said local retailers are also job generators, they often support local organizations like food pantries and other nonprofits, and they help keep smaller downtown areas economically strong.

Initiatives like Small Business Saturday and the 3/ 50 Project — which encourages shoppers to spend $50 at three local businesses each month — have made people more aware of supporting local businesses to keep them open.

But Gill noted that customer loyalty isn't what it was 50 years ago.

"There really isn't true loyalty to stores anymore," Gill said. "The whole shopping world is smaller, meaning you can shop a store in California just as easy as down the street. Traffic patterns also allow it. It's not hard to get to Schaumburg. Especially with the economy the last four to five years, the loyalty is not as important as savings."

Vermeer is hoping that built-in fan bases for those additional retailers she's bringing into her store will help drive traffic for the whole group on Small Business Saturday.

Spice Galleria just opened in January, so this will be the first holiday shopping season for the store. The couple is hoping the second store will drive more traffic.

"If we don't have a good holiday season, that makes or breaks the year for us, no doubt about it," Charles Ducharme said. "We really do think we have a nice combo with both stores. We have a lot of gifty things that we can mix and match, and we build baskets with spices and olive oils."

Culture Shock, 2239 Charles St., is offering big discounts on both Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

Nearly all merchandise in the store was 20 to 25 percent off on Friday, and customers can draw for discounts from 5 to 20 percent off on Saturday. The store is serving local coffee and snacks both days and will offer free gift wrapping for purchases.

The holidays are big business for the store, which specializes in eclectic clothing, home décor, accessories and vinyl records. Co-owner Lauren Davis said if the store does well during the holidays, it allows her and husband, Skyler Davis, to boost their inventory during the rest of the year.

"Basically, we work hard all year so we can bring the most fun and unique items to our store throughout the year, and during the holidays, we amp that up," Davis said. "This time of year definitely impacts local businesses in general."

The Davises also help run Winnebago Buy Local, a nearly 4-year-old group with about 150 members that aims to support and promote local businesses. They encouraged local retailers to open their doors on Black Friday this year so customers would have the option to support them.

Davis and Vermeer said local retailers do still have to fight the stereotype that their products are more expensive.

"There are a lot of local stores, including Culture Shock, that price things to sell and at fair prices," Davis said. "We also hook people up with discounts and punch cards, we pull out all the stops and give people 100 percent customer services, especially on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. We try to make it special, because we appreciate everyone who comes in the door."

Page 3 of 3 - Being sensitive to price competition is more important than ever, Vermeer said.

"The past few years have taught people to be more money-wise than they were in the middle of the recession. They do not want to be where they were a year ago, so they're pinching pennies even more," Vermeer said. "We're equally priced or sometimes lower than major stores. We shop them regularly just to make sure.

"Our customers are paying for service and quality. I don't order 12,000 pieces, but the six pieces I do order that hit the floor are worth the price people are paying for them."